2009 Lenten Devo 3

I got off track for about a week... but I'm back. Here's my next quote:

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Troubled?

Then stay with me, for I'm not.

Lonely?

A thousand naked amorous ones dwell in ancient caves

Beneath my eyelids.

Riches?

Here's a pick,

My whole body is an emerald that begs,

"Take me."

Write all that worries you on a piece of parchment;

Offer it to God.

Even from the distance of a millennium

I can lean the flame in my heart

Into your life

And turn

All that frightens you

Into holy

Incense

Ash.

--Hafiz, "Troubled"

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Translation: Trust in God.

That was easy.

Until last week, when I somehow got away from it, I had been reading the Scriptures more, this time in the position of a sponge, getting more information and seeing what they say about things. A friend of mine had told me to read Proverbs 26 (I originally was guessing Isaiah or Jeremiah... I went and checked) a couple weeks ago. Basically this chapter talked about how not to waste one's energy on fools, people that will not get the message no matter how hard you try. It didn't exactly apply to me so much, as I don't really have to worry about "fools" so much right now, but more to this friend who teaches Latin and has had to deal with an insanely rough class all year. I've reread bits and pieces from the Gospels, taking particular note of the passage where Jesus offers his suggestion about telling other people when they're wrong ("take out the log in your eye first before taking out the speck in the other person's eye"). So true, and it's amazing how many people can't seem to figure this one out (they must be fools). There was one chapter in Sirach (chapter 30) that I had problems with, though. It talks about how a parent must discipline his children, and verse 12 exemplifies of what this chapter talks about ("bow down his neck in his youth, and beat his sides while he is young, or else he will become stubborn and disobey you, and you will have sorrow of soul from him"). The issue I have is that it directly contradicts research that has been made (and facts that have come out of it) concerning this very same thing. Sirach 30 assumes that children are mini-adults, and that children must be beaten. In fact, the contrary is true. It is actually better to nurture (could be translated as "spoil" in Biblical terms) a child than abuse [him], because of the psychological effects that would remain with this individual for the rest of [his] life. But then I skimmed through the rest of Sirach and realized that God doesn't have a quotation here. Hmm...

Some people say John (the Gospel of) is crazy. I say that's a possibility, but without him we don't get as blatantly the most important aspect of God's message (love). See John 3:16 for details.

Anyway, Lent is getting close to over. I don't know how well I've done during (I'll let God tell me whenever he feels like it). But it's kind of funny how, even though I've called myself a follower of God and a searcher of the Truth instead of a Christian, I still observe the 40-day ritual. Not that there's anything wrong with it.